Swedish soldiers will be forced to serve abroad

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All Swedish soldiers will in future be liable to be sent abroad on missions against their will. Any soldiers who refuse could lose their jobs, according to SVT.

Until now, overseas service in the Swedish military has been on a voluntary basis. But with the abolition of conscription this month, army chiefs now want to ensure that all soldiers can be deployed to places such as Afghanistan.

“This is a further element of the transformation currently taking place, in which our staff play an important part. We will increase the Armed Forces' availability to carry our our new duties,” said the military's supreme commander, Sverker Göransson, in a statement.

All four unions representing military personnel - Seko, Saco, the Pilots' Union and the Officers Union - are opposed to the new rules, according to SVT.

Military employees have until 20th September to accept their new terms of employment. If they refuse they could be made redundant.